Twenty years ago, the private members’ club and hotel for creatives, Soho House, made its American debut in New York City’s Meatpacking District, ringing in a new era of cool and cachet. After all, even before it opened its doors, Sex and the City filmed the now-famous rooftop pool scene here, immediately cementing Soho House into pop culture. Now, the British brand has more than 40 global locations including 14 in North and South America. To celebrate, Soho House just announced its next goal: 20 locations in the Americas by 2025.
As part of the announcement, the company confirmed a new style of location for the U.S.: a countryside retreat in Hudson Valley’s town of Rhinebeck, New York, already known for its thriving creative culture. Set on a 250-acre former farm, the Grasmere House will be housed in restored 19th-century buildings surrounding a manor house. “The design inspiration will reference the romanticism of the nearby woodlands, and incorporate natural elements from the historic Roycroft Arts and Crafts movement in the 1800s,” the hospitality company said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure on Wednesday.
The relaxed location will have several food and beverage options, a wellness facility, spa, and guest bedrooms, which will all be juxtaposed against the area’s lush natural settings, primed for hiking and biking. The house is about a two-hour drive from Manhattan, or a 15-minute drive from the Rhinecliff, New York, train station.
The countryside concept is similar to the U.K.’s Babington House, an 18-acre British estate outside of Bath with 33 rooms across its historic buildings, which has become somewhat of a celebrity retreat. Not only has it hosted comedian James Corden’s 2012 wedding and Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne’s 2014 nuptials, it’s also a beloved vacation getaway for the likes of Courtney Cox.
While this week’s news marks the official reveal of Grasmere House’s new life, local authorities had already been keyed in on the property’s transformation. “We are very excited by this adaptive reuse project that will see the restoration of a historic manor house and barns in the town of Rhinebeck and attract people from around the world to thoughtfully work, relax, play, and create in our community,” Ronald Hicks, an assistant Dutchess County executive, told the Poughkeepsie Journal in October 2022. “We hope to capture the attention of visiting innovators and entrepreneurs and get them to stay in our community to live and/or start a business.””
No timeline has been announced yet for the Rhinebeck estate, but several other locations have sent out their save the dates, proving how the brand is extending its reach. Marking Soho House’s Latin American debut, Soho House Mexico City will open this month in a Colonia Juárez historic casa, followed by Soho House Portland the first in the Pacific Northwest in November and Soho House São Paulo in December. Miami Pool House in Magic City’s artsy Wynwood area is currently in preview mode, while Soho House Charleston in the French Quarter is on the books for 2024. The company is also extending its footprint on its home soil with the first location in northern England (Manchester) and its first in Scotland, both in 2024.
Source: Travel and Leisure
